Major US Advisory Committee to Vote on Altering Infant Hepatitis B Vaccine Recommendation
Following a delay and a particularly heated session, a national immunization advisory committee was scheduled to decide on Friday concerning altering the longstanding recommendation that every infant be vaccinated against hepatitis B.
Heated Debate and a Delayed Ballot
The initial day of the meeting on Thursday was marked by intense argument over restricting access to the hepatitis B vaccine for infants and a choice to postpone the decision by a day to provide committee members extra time to review the wording. The group, which counsels the national health agency on immunization practices, had previously delayed on two occasions.
“Is there any concrete proof of injury of giving this vaccination before 30 days? Or is this conjecture?” asked one panel member.
In response, another participant stated, “There is inadequate data about the long-term risk.”
Current Guidelines and Possible Consequences
The injection is presently advised for all infants within 24 hours of birth to prevent infection of hepatitis B, which can result in serious liver damage. It has been administered to 1.4 billion people for more than three decades.
The Atlanta conference offered no new evidence of harms caused by the vaccine. Experts say any alteration to the present hepatitis B immunization timeline could have significant and far-reaching implications for childhood health in the United States.
Panel Composition and New Appointments
The expert committee can only provide advice to the leader of the CDC. The panel's membership has undergone changes in recent days, with the announcement that the panel's latest chairman would depart for an official role and be succeeded by a cardiologist who has been skeptical about other inoculations.
The committee includes multiple immunization doubters who are in agreement with a aim to revamp – and possibly, in some cases, scrap – traditional vaccine advisories.
